Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Oklahoma
Cowboys Drop Sooners in Bedlam Action 66-61
January 23, 2007 | Cowboy Basketball
David Godbold and Austin Johnson sandwiched 3-pointers around a pair of missed free throws by Oklahoma State's JamesOn Curry to close a seven-point gap to 62-61 with 25.9 seconds left.
Mario Boggan hit two free throws after being fouled following the ensuing inbounds pass, and walk-on Tyler Hatch hit two more with four seconds to play after grabbing the rebound on Johnson's missed 3-pointer from the left wing.
The Cowboys had started to inch away after Oklahoma (11-7, 3-3) had scored six straight points to close within 43-42 on Nate Carter's fast-break layup. Eaton gave Oklahoma State a 55-46 lead with a floater on the left side that bounced off both sides of the rim before falling through the net.
It was 60-52 after Curry turned an offensive rebound into a layup, but then the Sooners, who'd hit only 3-of-19 from 3-point range, started connecting from long distance.
Godbold hit a 3 to cut the gap to 60-55 and another after Monds answered with a jumper from the left elbow.
The rally came up just short, though.
Curry and Boggan, the nation's No. 2 scoring tandem with a combined 40.5-point average, were each held to 12 points. Curry shot 3-for-10 and took a season-low five shots.
But the Cowboys got more than usual from Monds and Eaton, who committed a costly foul in the most recent Bedlam game.
Carter had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead Oklahoma, and Michael Neal scored 13.
Eaton's blocking foul with 0.6 seconds left allowed Oklahoma to escape with a 67-66 win in Norman in the final Bedlam game last season. The lead changed hands three times in the final nine seconds in that game, and this one appeared poised for a similar ending for a few moments.
Oklahoma, the Big 12's second-stingiest defense, held Oklahoma State well below its 82.6-point average and stayed in the game despite getting 24 fewer free-throw tries.
Oklahoma State's Sean Sutton, in his second Bedlam game after subbing for father Eddie last year, denied first-year coach Jeff Capel the chance to be the first Oklahoma coach to win his first game in Stillwater since John MacLeod in 1967-68.
But the Sooners got off to a strong start behind Carter and Neal.
The duo combined to score all of Oklahoma's points as the Sooners jumped out to an early 15-8 lead. The Cowboys scored seven straight points to tie it at 17 on Mario Boggan's spinning layup under the basket.
The Cowboys went ahead 22-21 on JamesOn Curry's 3-pointer, but the Sooners came back with seven straight points - again all by Carter and Neal.
The two teamed up for 28 points in the first half, but the Cowboys still led 38-34 after closing on a 16-6 run.
